Kuching: The Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY) Sarawak has expressed full support for a proposal by DAP Sarawak Chairman Chong Chieng Jen to establish state-owned private hospitals that provide high-quality medical services to Sarawakians at public hospital rates across the state.
Its secretary, George Lam, said the proposal is “timely and crucial” and urged the Sarawak Government to leverage its strong fiscal position.
“Although Sarawak has been actively seeking greater autonomy from the Federal Government, including healthcare autonomy, the progress has been slow. At the same time, our medical resources are severely limited.
“Many hospitals are overburdened due to a shortage of medical staff, making it increasingly difficult for Sarawakians to receive timely and professional healthcare services,” he said in a statement.
During DAP Sarawak 2025 Annual Convention on 26 October 2025 at Bintulu, Chong, who is also Padungan assemblyman and Stampin MP, has slammed the Sarawak government for pouring billions into “low-return projects” like the RM6 billion Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system while neglecting the state’s worsening healthcare crisis.
Instead, Chong urged the government to redirect its spending towards a bold, people-first idea – building state-owned private hospitals that charge public hospital rates for Sarawakians.
Meanwhile, Lam said that it is unfortunate that the Deputy Premier of Sarawak, who is also the Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, has yet to come up with any effective measures to address this issue.
“Too often, the response stops at calling upon the Federal Government, without any concrete steps taken by the Sarawak Government itself to resolve the problem,” Lam said.
According to Lam, since relying solely on the Federal Government will not solve Sarawak’s healthcare manpower and facility shortage in the short term, he strongly believes that the Sarawak Government should adopt Chong’s proposal.
“By setting up state-owned private hospitals in major divisions across Sarawak, we can allow Sarawakians to enjoy quality and fast medical services at public hospital rates, while non-Sarawakians and foreigners would be charged at private hospital rates.
“This proposal would not only help ease the shortage of medical resources, but also attract more medical professionals to serve in Sarawak, as the private hospital model can offer more competitive pay and better working conditions,” he said.
He added that, with this way, Sarawakians can enjoy better healthcare services, and at the same time, it would promote medical tourism and contribute positively to Sarawak’s tourism industry.
“Over the years, the Sarawak Government’s revenue has continued to increase. However, when it comes to basic public services, we are still lagging.
“Instead of investing billions into mega projects such as the proposed second Kuching International Airport, I urge the government to redirect these funds towards building more hospitals. This would allow people across Sarawak to reduce waiting times and receive the medical care they deserve,” he said.
Lam emphasised that the truth is, people can no longer afford to wait, as too many lives have been lost simply because of delays in medical treatment.
“It is time for the Sarawak Government to make decisive and bold decisions so that our people can receive healthcare when they need it most.
“While the DAP Sarawak will continue to support the state’s fight for greater autonomy, I believe that before full autonomy is achieved, the Sarawak Government must already demonstrate its governing capability and political will to address the people’s needs. Only then can we build public confidence in its leadership,” he said.
Lam said that, as for whether this proposal will be accepted, the ball is now in SUPP’s court, and after all, the minister in charge of Sarawak’s public health affairs is SUPP President Dr Sim.
“I sincerely hope that they will humbly accept this suggestion and bring it forward to the State Cabinet, so that this plan can be implemented in the 2026 Sarawak State Budget,” he concluded.
